Nickolas Houghtaling

Clayton Frasier

Mrs. Brink

10th Grade World Literature

22 October 2020

¨An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge¨-Writing Assignment

The next morning Peyton had woken up and noticed what a beautiful day it was. His wife

had already been up and Farquhar went outside and sat down on the bench to join her. Suddenly,

a soldier rode up to their home and asked politely for a glass of water. Mrs. Farquhar was very

happy and excited to serve the well dressed horseman. While Peytonś wife was pouring the water

for the soldier, he approached him and asked for the news from the front. He replied that the

Union was renovating the railways, and they were preparing for another advance. They had also

reached the Owl Creek Bridge and were setting up a stockade on the north bank. The commander

of the army declared that anyone caught interfering with their work would be hanged. Peyton

questioned the soldier and asked as to how far it was from their home to the bridge. It was only

about 30 miles he replied, and only a picket post half a mile out, and a single sentinel at the end

of the bridge. As his wife brought the water back, the soldier on the horse rode away. That night

Peyton snuck out of the house carefully and quietly amid his wife sleeping and headed out

towards the bridge. He then met up with a group of people that the horseman informed. They

somehow were able to sneak past the guards who were fast asleep. However, this doesn't mean

he was unnoticed. The horseman was wearing a gray uniform which had to mean he was

confederate. Being a southern man this meant that Peyton could trust him. But the man wasn't on

his side, he was a federal scout for the Union that had set him up to get caught red-handed

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 attempting to burn the bridge down. Peyton had a pack of matches in his pocket, anxiously ready

to attempt burning the bridge. Earlier the horse rider noted to him that the wood was good timber

and would burn easily so he worriedly goes and tries to get the wood so he can burn it. As

Farquhar turned to look around to make sure he was unnoticed by anyone he was confronted by a

group of infantrymen. They told the group of men to surrender or they would fire, confused

because they thought they were with them not against them. Soldiers were also glad because they

did not have to be worried about anyone ruining the bridge. Peyton did not have any weapons to

fight back and the idea of being outnumbered he handed over the matches and realized what had

happened right in front of his eyes. The so called confederate wasn't what he appeared to be. He

was set up to be captured at the bridge. Peyton was being hanged and could never explain what

took place to his wife and children.

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